Tray



Dec. 6, 1949 E JOHNSON 2,490,269

TRAY

Filed June 13, 1947 I INVENTLOR. 17m M6070 BY M Qzzz;

Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in trays such as are commonly employed for the reception of correspondence or the like by office executives, secretaries and so forth.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide an arrangement whereby a plurality of trays embodying the features of this invention may be readily and efliciently assembled or stacked. Each of said trays may be constructed substantially the same, if not exactly alike, for purposes of economy and simplicity in manufacture, and in such a way that they are interchangeable and may be superimposed upon one another readily.

One of the principal advantages of the construction of this invention is that the tray has certain characteristics which permit its being placed in stacked relation with trays of similar construction, one above the other, without the use of extraneous parts. The construction of the tray is such that integral units are provided which are adapted to be readily associated with one another, with the net result that a stack of so-called letter trays may easily be assembled or disassembled.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tray embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the tray shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a pair of trays of the invention in stacked or assembled relation; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through upper and lower portions of trays at an enlarged scale to illustrate means for releasably locking the ear of an upper tray to the slot of a tray therebelow.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the invention will be described with particular reference to the drawings.

A single tray is designated by 2 in Fig. 1, and, of course, it will be understood that there may be any number of such trays. In any event, the member 2 includes a, platform portion 4 upon which the correspondence or other material is to rest, wherefore part 4 will normally be horizontally disposed.

Extending upwardly from opposite sides of this portion 4 are side walls 6, preferably disposed at right angles as shown. Obviously it is desired for ease and economy of manufacture to obtain a unitary construction by forming or bending a sheet of relatively thin metal into the U-shaped form described.

It will be understood that the relative dimensions of the parts heretofore described, or those about to be described, are immaterial. That is to say, the side wall parts 6 may or may not be equal either in height or width to the platform; also, obviously, the Walls may differ either, or both, in length or height with respect to one another and/or with respect to the dimensions of the platform.

Whatever the shape or size of the side walls, integral portions of each, such as more or less central parts thereof, are turned or bent inwardly and downwardly as shown to form what will hereafter be referred to as inner side walls 8. The latter may obviously be of any length or width, even extending downwardly into contact with platform 4, if desired.

In any event, the bending of the side walls so as to form the parts 8 will permit the provision in each of the opposite sides of the structure of one or more slots or cuts In which lead downwardly into the space naturally formed by the bending of the side wall material over onto itself as described.

As shown, the points of bending provide upper edges 9 having the downwardly extending slots and the upper edges of a tray are adapted to engage and support the lower wall of a similar tray.

The unit is also provided with a plurality of what may be called feet l2. These may be formed in various'ways but their function is to support the tray evenly and practicably on a surface such as a desk or table.

While they may consist of rubber nubs, felt pads or the like, they preferably consist of protuberances formed in the wall 4 and which are spaced apart in a suitable manner, as shown, and extend downwardly below the plane of the platform sufficiently to support the same on the desired surface.

Now, in order to provide for the stacking of a plurality of such trays, as desired, and to utilize the slotted wall construction which has been previously described at length, the unit has semicircular, U-shaped or some sort of cuts provided in the platform portion 4 which are bendable, preferably, on the lines on which the side walls bend upwardly from the part 4. In other words, the cuts are such that there may be downwardly bent ears 20 on opposite sides of the platform, so spaced and so sized as to fit into the aforementioned slots l0. Whereupon, when one of the units is disposed in stacked relation with respect to another the cars 20 will be disposed in the slots I 0 between the .wall partsfi and18 anditheyasseme bly will be secure with the lower wall or platform 4 of one tray resting on the edges 9.

The feet [2 preferably extend downwardly from the wall 4 a greater distance than the ears 20 sor that with the tray supported on a deslnor the like by the feet the said feet are elevatedabove the desk so as to not mar the surface thereof.

It is desirable to provide means for releasably locking the ears 20 of an upper tray in the slots H] of a lower tray and to that end, wall portions such asli' are provided with small seats such as I in which projections such as 21' oi -ears 20 are receivable;

As the trays of the invention are stacked-asin Fig; 3byinserting the ears 20 of a'tray in-the slots lll 'of a tray "below the projections 2i snap into th recesses 'l;

Obviously there maybe any mnnber'of such trays so assembled. It is clear, too,that their shapes andsizes may vary considerably, and that while the accompanying drawing shows one, pre-: ferred embodiment, the invention may be, em: bodied in other specific forms withoutdeparte, ing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments aretherefore to beconsideredlin all respects merelyasbeing illusgtrative and not as being restrictive, the. scope of the invention being indicated bythe appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all .rnodiiications, and variations as-failwithin the meaning and purview and range of equiv: alencyof the appended claims are therefore in: tended to be embracedtherein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tray adapted for the vertical stacking with other similar trays comprising in combination, a horizontally disposed platform having vertically extending side walls at opposite sides thereof, said side walls having upper portions bent inwardly and downwardly parallel to and adjacent inner adjacent sides of said side walls providing upper longitudinal tray supporting ledges, said ledges having longitudinally spaced vertically extending ear receiving slots therein, said platform having ears extending downwardly therefrom in spaced relation adapted for insertion in the slots of a similar tray, the side walls and bent portions adjacent-said slots provided with seats and said earsfl provided with projections receivable in the seats whereby said ears are releasably held in said:slots.

2. A tray adapted for vertical stacking with other similar trays comprising in combination, a platform-having vertically extending side walls atopposite sides thereof, said side walls having upper portions bent inwardly and downwardly parallel to and adjacent inner adjacent sides of saidside walls providing upper longitudinal tray s pporting ledges having ear receiving slots therein, said platform having ears extending downwardly therefrom adapted for insertion in the ear receiving slots, the walls and'bent portions provided with seats and the ears provided with projections receivable in the seats whereby the ears are releasably held in the ear receiving slots.

EDWIN JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,172,878 Pfitzer Sept. 12, 1939' 2,334325 Jones -e Nov. 23, 1943 

